Taiwan

"The US should send 240 servicemen publicly, in US military uniform, and make public where they are stationed," the editor-in-chief of the paper said.

The Chinese envoy to ASEAN tweeted after 149 Chinese military planes flew sorties into the skies off southwestern Taiwan in early October.

The secretary of state warned against "unilateral actions that change the status quo by force" across the Taiwan Strait.

News of the meeting comes after White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan met with Yang Jiechi, a senior Chinese foreign policy adviser.

Taiwan's Defense Minister told lawmakers on Wednesday that the country's armed forces are under strict instructions to abide by the principle.

Ahead of the trip, China tried to discourage the French senators from going to Taiwan.

"If Taiwan were to fall, the consequences would be catastrophic for regional peace and the democratic alliance system," Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen said.

Tsai Ing-wen said the recent Chinese military maneuvers had "seriously undermined regional peace and stability."

The president told reporters on Tuesday that he and Chinese leader Xi Jinping had agreed to "abide by the Taiwan agreement."

The talks come after what the international community has condemned as military harassment against Taiwan by China.

In a wide-ranging essay published on Tuesday, Taiwan's president said her country would neither "bend to pressure," nor become adventurist with support.

Taiwanese Defense Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng said China's military pressure is also pushing the island to increase its combat readiness.

The tactic from China is known as gray zone warfare, or any type of military action short of direct combat. Experts do not think it will lead to war.

"I'm sure that if China is going to launch an attack against Taiwan, I think they are going to suffer tremendously as well," said Taiwan's Foreign Minister.

"We urge Beijing to cease its military, diplomatic, and economic pressure and coercion against Taiwan," U.S. State Department spokesman Ned Price said.

Taiwan reported that 38 Chinese aircraft entered the island's air defense identification zone Friday, the largest daily Chinese incursion into the area.

China's warplanes flew 117 sorties off southwest Taiwan in September—the most since public records began—but not every flight is a message for Taipei.

Mixed signals by Chinese officials suggest Beijing will be closely watching Japan's next leader Fumio Kishida, who many expect will continue existing policies.

EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell did not budge on the bloc's relations with Taiwan when he met China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi virtually on Tuesday.

Taiwanese Foreign Minister Joseph Wu said his country's relationship with the United States "is in its best form," a view he said is shared in Washington, D.C.

East China's Zhejiang Maritime Safety Administration said military training will be held in parts of the East China Sea from September 28 to 29.

The military maneuvers—likely an effort at political signaling by Beijing—come after Taiwan officially applied to join the CPTPP trade pact on Wednesday.

An assessment by Lithuania's Defense Ministry found a remote censorship function could block phrases such as "free Tibet" and "long live Taiwan independence."

"This hostile move violates international trade norms," said Taiwan's foreign minister, noting China wants to join the CPTPP trade bloc.

"The U.S. moves clearly prove the nature of the American empire that is leaving no means untried in a bid to attain its sordid purpose," analyst Kim Myong Chol wrote in North Korean state media.

Taiwan's Defense Ministry has confirmed air defense identification zone intrusions by a fleet of nine Chinese military aircraft on Wednesday.

The meeting between the four regional players comes as China has increased its assertiveness in the East and South China seas.

A State Department official reiterated the U.S.'s "rock-solid" support for Taiwan and urged China to cease "military, diplomatic, and economic pressure."

Taiwan's annual Han Kuang live-fire drills—scaled down due to the pandemic—will last through Friday and include both standing army and reserve mobilization.

Republican Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick, who recently returned from a trip to Ukraine, said on Monday that his "next stop" would be Taiwan.